Drier for veneer and the like



w. fH. COLLIER ET AL DRIER FOR VENEEE AND THE LIKE Filed July- 31, 6 Sheets-Sheezt l Innen/fou Nov. '25, 1924. 1,517,235

W.YH. COLLIER ET An.

IIDRIER FOR VENEER AND THE LIKE Filed July 31. 1922' 6 Sheets-Sheet 2y 7 www;

M atten/w43 Nov. l25, 1924 w. HQcoLLll-:R ET AL i DRIER FOR VENEER AND THE LIKE Filed Julyvsl. 1922 e Smets-sheet s Nov. 25, 1924-. `1,517,235

' W. H. COLLIER ET AL DRIER FOR VENEER lAND THE LIKE Filed July 3l. 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet. 5

MTA/Ess:

Nov. 25, 1924. 1,517,235

W. H. COLLIER ET AL DRIER FOR VENEER AND TIE LIKE Filed July 3l. 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 (g1/vani ow @HTM mq Patented Nov. 2 5, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THE COE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OHIO. l

l I Application filed .Iu1y'3i,

and ARTHUR J. VANCE, citizens o f the acter of-'the material to be dried in order to produce a. perfectoutput and United States, residing at I ainesville, in the county of Lakeand AState of-Ohio," have invented certain neivand useful Improvements in Driers'v for .Veneer andthe like,'of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to driers for veneer and other likesheet material, the drierbeing of the progressivet'ype wherein material to be dried 1s passed from-end to end through an', elongated drying? cha ber, a

-conveyorbeing used tofeifect the p rogre of the material 'through the drier, wherein heating and moisture providing "means and regulating means therefor are embodied.

In Vthe drying of certain classes of materials, such as veneers, the treatment must` be regulated in accordance with the charrevent loses from checking,l splitting, internal stresses,'case hardening andthe hke'deiects.v For instance, the drylng characteristics'iof certain material make it'necessary that it' should first be subjected'to a low temperature, next to a'high tempcratureand iinally to a low temperature again. Other'materials have drying characteristics -requiring other heat conditions. Again some materlals require the presence of considera-ble moistureat first in ordeito avoid injury.

In dryers employing internal heat and roller conveyors it has been also found that it vis desirable that the steam coils used to heat the interior should be accessible for removal and repair and that the sets of conveyor rolls should be so -arranged as to, en-

"able such rollsto be removed for such repairs to the steam coils without loss of time.

The principal objects of the present invent-ionare -to provide an improved drier having novel arranfrements of heating and moisture providing devices as well as a novel construction ofthe feed' roll'supports.

Such a drier will now be described with reference tothe accompanyingdrawings and the novel features will then be specifically claimed.

In the drawingsz- Figures 1 and 1 disclose a diagrammatic isometric view of the piping arrangementin "such a drier.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view WILLIAM H. 'COLLIER' AND 'ARTHUR ;r. vaivenor rArNEsv-ILLE, omo, .assumons 'ro OFPINESV'ILLE, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DRIEB FOR' Ain) vanni LIKE.

19:22.v 'serial No. 578,768. I

. taken through a portion of the middle of the "drier, Figure 3 is a section .on the line 3 3 Aof Figure 2. Figure 4 is a side view of a portion of the heating device showing the main ex haust header for supplying moisture to the drer. Figure 5 is a view of the header of Figure 4 at right angles to that figure.'

of header, the same being the steamsupply header located at each end of the drier.

Figure 6 is a side viewof .asecond type Figure 7 is a View of the header of Figure l y6V at right 'angles thereto.

F igurev 8 is a sidevlew of one of theintermediate supply headers. l

Figure 9 is a'sideview of the main driving gear stand showing certain parts of the gearing.

frame members 12 extend cross rails 16.. Alongthe top of the drier extends a mainstcam supply )ipe 17 from which depend headers 18. eaders 19 are' arranged'between the headers 18 and form exhaust headers which'are connected to steam trapsl Figure 10 is an endiview thereo-:tpartly 20, the latter being in turn connected to a condensate pipe 21. .-'Ihis condensate pipe is 'provided with a branch 22 leading to a pump 23 which is in turn connected to a header 24' forming a circulating water supply header and located at the inlet or wet .end of the drier.

provlded for thevcirculating water supply and eonnects'withthe condensate pipe 21.- Valves 26 arid 27. are provided in the pipe 21, and branch 22 respectively so that the condensate may. either How out of the pipe 21 as waste or may be conducted through the branch 22. Each of the headers 18'is provided with valved branches 28 and these valve branches are 'connected by unions 29, (see Figs. 6, 7 and 8) ,each with one end of a flat heating coil consisting ot a series of spaced tubes 30 disposed horizontally side An exhaust header 25 is providedwith a valved nipple 35 which may bers rest slidably and removably on the crossrails 16. -Inlike manner each of the headers 19 is'.- provided with branches 33 connected each by a union 34 with the exhaust end of one of the flat coils (see- -l and 5). In each Vbranch 33 is a check valve 34 andV furthermore each branch is bc connected, if desired,to flexible tubing for the purpose of feeding exhaust steam into the drier at any desired point. A

The heating coils 30 are located directly under the lower rolls, so that the latter receive heat continually from the heatingco'ils.

The heat of the rolls is then `transferred directly tothe veneer or other sheet material as it is, conveyed through the drier to thereby assist indriving out the'moisture from the veneer. Inas'much as .the veneer is cut from' the perimeter of a circular log it is necessary to flatten it Aduring -the drying process to condition it'for use. .An'important functionof'the rolls, therefore, is to iron out the natural tendency of theveneer to curl and'to flatten itv into a sheet.. vFor this purpose it is necessary 'that the rolls should be constantly heated and this is provided for by thejuxtaposed heating coils. 1With this constructlon it will be observed that any one of the coils may be removed at will without disturbing. the remainder of the coils, it'beingmerely necessary to close the branch leading to that coil by shutting the valve and uncoupling the unions 29 and 34 whereupon the coil may bev drawn out after the sidev of .the casing has been removed. l

In this construction aroller conveyor is provided and the-conveyor is1nade up inuni'ts each of which consistofa pair of sido bearing frames 36 having openings 37 therein spaced'longitudinallyof the lower part ol each frame for the reception ot roller bearings 38 which in turn 'receive thejonrnals 39 of the lower rollers 40Alor1ning. l

drying chamber, steam heating coils in one the supporting bed for the sheets of veneer. Above each ofthe openings 37 is an upward! ly opening slot 41 for the' reception 'of a journal 42- ota respective upper roller 43, the upper roller forming thepressing bed.

On eac'h of the journals 39 at'one end of each roller is a gear 44 which meshes with a gear 45 on there'sp'ectiveroller 43o On the other journal -of each-roller 40 is a sprocket wheel 4G over'which runsa chain 47 which passes at one end around an idler roller (not shown) andat its other end' around a driving sprocket 48 'mounted ina main driving gear frame 49 arranged .ver-A tically at one end of the driver (see Fig. 10). The vertical side frame members are also I provided with openings 50 for the journals ofthe lower rollers and elongated openings 51 for the' journals of the upper rollers so that a continuousbedof lower and upper rollers-extends from oneiend of the driver to the other,the coils for thesteam and water being located beneath the respective beds.v The side frame members 36 are secured to the vertical frame members 12 by bolts 52 and thus by. removing these bolts' any of the unitary sections may be withdrawn' through the side or door. Het air duets 53are suitably arranged in the drier as shown in Figure 2, these ducts being in number and position'such-"as may. be required in the particular drier.

It will be noted that the upper run of the chain 47 returns above the lower run in a channel member 47 extending longitudinally from-'end toend of the drier.

In the; frame 49 is-journalled a main drive shaft'f'54 carryingja driving pulley 55 and operating through reducing gearing 56A'to' drive av train ofi gears' .57 Tconec't3-ed' .by idlers 58, the v formed integraly with the sprockets 48. In thi.: manner `all of the sprocket'chans, and consequently all of the conve orsare driven at the same speed andl it will, be noted that by reason of the slotted arrangement'of the upper journal bearings materiali oitdiifelfent thickness may Abe' readilyy accommodated'.

Furthermore, by means ofthe' controlling valves the distribution of lthe hea't. in the conveyorV may be regulated 'to a nicety and by means of flexible ,tubing connected to. the nipples 35 steam"mayD be introduced wherever-desired.'

Gears 57;A 'being preferably Inv addition to this an economie use of heat is obtained -by-the utilization, whenever desired, 'of the condensed water troni'the steam coils in the' het Water. .heating coils shown in Figure 1?-, itbeing understood that lthe steam coilsin thisti'gure. and. in Figure l, are diagramn'mtical.and not intendedtor p-mln P1'escntati0m-- i l-Iaving thus described the invention wha I is claimed as new, i's`: A f

1. In 'a device of .the kind described; a

en d of the chamber, other coilsat the other end of said chamber, and means external` to the chamber to force 'the condensateof ,the

,first coils through the second coils'.

2.' In' a device of thekind described, 'a

drying 'chamber,' steamhe'ating coils ingene end of said'chamber, water circulating Icoils ing coils andreceivingthe condensate from the trap. A

3. In a device of the kind described, a

llo

drying chamber, a series of sets of steam' heating coils larranged within the chamber and spaced longitudinally thereof, va main steam supply pipe extending along the outside of the chamber, headers connected tov the main steam pipe and each provided with branches connected to the separate coils of a set, a valve i each branch, and exhaust headers connected to each set of coils.

llo

4. In a device of the kind described, a

drying chamber, a series of sets of steaml the lower end of each exhaust header, a condensatefpipe into which said traps empty, a hot Water coil in one end of said chamber, and a pump connected to the hot water coil and receiving Water from the condensate.

pipe.

5. In a drier, a drying chamber, cross rails extending in spaced relation across said chamber, a heater coil consisting of a series of pipes connected at their ends by return bends to form a continuous conduit, the centers of said pipes all being in the same plane, and a frame embracing said pipes and slidably and removably resting on the cross rails.

6. In a drier, a drying chamber, cross rails extending in spaced relation across said chamber, a heater coil consistinr of a series of pipes connected at their endsgby return bends to form a continuous conduit, the centers of said pipes all being in the same plane, a frame embracing said pipes'- and slidably and removably resting on the cross rails, a steam supply header at one end of the coil, an exhaust header at the 0pposite end oi the coil, and unions detachably connecting said headers and ends.

7. In'a drier, a drying chamber, pairs otA spaced cross rails arranged in vertically spaced relation one above the other in said chamber, heater coils each 4slidably and removably 4supported on a resdpective pair of cross rails, steam supply an -exhaust headers arranged vertically at the respective ends of said coils,'valved branches extending from said headers opposite the respective coils, and unions connecting said branches with the ends of the respective coils.

S. In a drier, vertical frame members arranged in spaced pairs, the members of each pair being disposed opposite to each other on` respective sides of the drier, horizontal -bearin frames detachably connected to the vertica frames at opposite sides of the driers, rolls journaled in said bearing frames, said'frames and rolls forming removable units, and heating coils located directly below each horizontal set of rolls to maintain the latter irfa heated condition for the purpose of causin the rolls to expel the moisture and flatten t between the rolls.

9. In a drier, a unitary conveyor section consisting of a pair of laterally spaced bear. ing frames each having a series of roll end s receiving openings arranged in horizontally spaced relation, said frames also-havingA a series of horizontallyspaced rollend receiving slots arranged above the openings and having their upper ends opening through the top edge of the frames, rolls having journal Aends mounted in said openings to form a sheet supporting bed, other rolls having journal ends mounted in said slots and movable vertically therein to form a sheet pressing bed, and heating coils located directly e veneer as it passes.

below each horizontal set of rolls to' mainreceiving openings' arranged in horizon tally spaced relation, said frames also having a series of horizontally spaced roll end receiving slots arranged above the openings and having their upper ends openingthrough the top edge of the frames, rolls rolls superposed upon said first-named rolls -and having journal ends mounted in .said

slots and movable vertically therein to form a sheet pressing'bed, sprockets each fixed on a journal end of a respective lower roll, and heating coils located directly below each horizontal set of rolls to maintain the latter in a heated condition for the purpose of causing the rolls to expel the moisture and Aflatten the veneer as it passes between the rolls.

tures.

WILLIAM H. COLLIER. ARTHUR J. vANoE;

In testimony whereof we aiix our signa-n 100 having journal ends mounted in said open-'- 'ings to form a sheet supporting bed, other 

